James Cook was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions ahead of There’s Something Funny in the Honey on 23rd October!
How long have you been doing stand up for?
In one form or another since I was 1,1 when I entered a Pontins talent competition. I used to copy stuff off the Mary Whitehouse Experience and do it in the playground to utter bemusement. When I was a student I started doing new act nights, I got better, started getting paid, then I had 8 years working on commercial radio and now I do it full time.
Do you have any hobbies outside of comedy?
Yes! I like sport, cooking, board games and taking over my local pub one Saturday a month to play my favourite records until people dance.
How did you get into running your own comedy school?
I don’t run a comedy school. What I run is some courses at arts centres, theatres and the like for people who are interested in comedy, helping them write their own material and then perform it. It’s a lot of fun.
Have you taught anybody who is now pro?
Not yet. Most people who come on the course aren’t really interested in turning pro, they sign up because they like meeting people and are interested in comedy. Having said that, there are a few who are very good and have stuck with it – so we’ll wait and see…
Do you enjoy living in Kings Heath?
Indeed. All life is here.
Do you know anything about environmental issues?
I’m like most people I suppose, I know a bit and yet I’m stuck in a way of life that runs counter to what I know. I know that pollution makes the world worse, but I also know that the only way I can get to, say, Manchester and back to do my job in an evening is for me to drive. I’d love it if I could get a train, but they’re economically and logistically impractical. I do benefits for Friends of rhe Earth to assuage my guilt!
